SWAMP THING's Dick Durock Passes Away

We were saddened to learn of the recent death of actor Dick Durock last week.

Durock is, of course, known to many fans as the lead actor in the 'Swamp Thing' movies and TV shows that followed. At 72 the actor died at his Oak Park, California home after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

C2F was fortunate enough to talk to the actor last year as he was busy promoting the DVD release of the TV series. We recall having a very pleasant conversation with a man who felt very fortunate for strange path his career took, especially the opportunity to be so central to a much-loved phenomenon like the 'Swamp Thing' show.

TRANSFORMERS Charity Event Expands

They've added two new items for sale. Fans can now purchase a two pack of 'Transformers' and 'Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen' autographed by Bay and actor Tyrese Gibson. The DVD pack will run you $105 while the Blu-Ray double will cost $110.

If you want to benefit Make A Wish then click over an buy some autographed 'Transformers'.

SURROGATES A Favorite At The Box Office

Box office predictions filed by the Hollywood trades indicate that the comic-based 'Surrogates' is expected to fare well. Variety pegs the Bruce Willis flick to walk away with the #1 spot. The Hollywood Reporter expects more of a horse race with 'Fame' and 'Pandorum' providing sturdy competition, along with returning champ 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'.

'Surrogates' opens on 2,951 screens and has an $80 million production budget to live up to.

SURROGATES Review Roundup

Touchstone did not deign to screen 'Surrogates' for critics. Usually you can take that as a sign of a weak movie, not that it hurt a film like 'G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra'. At any rate, reviews are trickling in, and their skewing towards the middle, tipping the movie as watchable entertainment that fails to delve into the interesting themes contained with in.

Variety: "A film about robots that might find its biggest fans among Luddites, 'Surrogates' is an intense and eerily plausible sci-fi thriller. Set in a future that uncannily resembles the present day (it must be one of the first pictures with a car chase featuring a Prius), Jonathan Mostow's smart speculative suspenser imagines a time when people can live through ideal versions of themselves while they sit wired up at home."

IGN: [3 out of 5 stars] "It's good, escapist fun. A cinematic beach read. The science fiction equivalent of a James Patterson novel."

CBR: "'Surrogates' begs to be a slower, more deliberate film. At eighty-eight minutes, it only gets to scratch the surface of its compelling ideas."

Meanwhile, Rotten Tomatoes is tracking the movie as 43% rotten with only 28 reviews counted at the time of this writing.

Silver Surfer Takes Over SUPER HERO SQUAD

From a Press Release: This Saturday, September 26th, at 8:30 AM, the Silver Surfer takes center stage in the critically acclaimed 'Super Hero Squad Show' on Cartoon Network! Surfer heads off on his own, but Doctor Doom isn’t about to let our silver sentinel of the skyways enjoy some peace and quiet! As the bad guys make their play for the Surfer’s power, the Thing heads on a mission to save his friend and let Doom know it’s “Clobberin Time!”

And, in case you missed the first episode of this super-fun toon-show, you can watch it online at the official Super Hero Squad Website!

PRIEST Set Photos

Just Jared has posted a series of new set photos from the Sony/Screen Gems manga-adaptation 'Priest', starring Paul Bettany.

LUCKY LUKE Trailer

Todd McFarlane pusing for R-Rated SPAWN

Comics creator Todd McFarlane told MTV Splash Page that he would prefer to do is 'Spawn' revival without the backing of a major studio.

"The reason I want to go small with it is that it's a completely R-rated movie," said McFarlane. "If I sell it up big, studios want that PG-13."

The Toddler has a point. The underachieving 'Watchmen' recently muddied the waters for R-rated superheroes. Even Marvel has avoided R-Rated takes on their characters, with the 'Blade' franchise going PG-13 for its final outing and 'Punisher: War Zone' flying under a specialty "Marvel Knights" banner.

Furthermore, McFarlane says he's increasingly a fan of what people are doing with less money, specifically citing the 'Saw franchise.

Ron Howard on H.P. LOVECRAFT Movie

L.A. Times Hero Complex Blog chats up filmmaker Ron Howard who will wade into the comics-to-film pool with his adaptation of 'The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft'.

"It very cleverly uses H.P. Lovecraft in a fictional way, but there's some loose biographical elements. But it certainly has the flavor and the tone of Lovecraft," Howard told L.A. Times, seemingly unaware that the clever mix of Lovecraft's biography with Lovecraftian fiction was done just a few years earlier with the DC/Vertigo graphic novel 'Lovecraft' (which makes it seem less clever to C2F).

Howard says he's unsure of whether or not 'Strange Adventures' will be his next project. "I have a lot of things that are sort of two-thirds of the way through and a really wide variety of them, including this Lovecraft project. So I've got literally half-a-dozen projects where essentially I'm waiting for [script] drafts to come in, and there's something I love about all of these ideas," Howard said. "We'll just have to wait to see what comes to fruition. I sort of can't bear the thought of letting any of them go. So maybe I've got the next five years spoken for."

VENOM Script Is In

SCI FI Wire chatted up 'Zombieland' writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who have also been tapped to pen the script for Sony's extension of the 'Spider-Man' franchise 'Venom'.

"We've written two drafts of Venom, and the studio has it, and they're pushing forward in whatever ways they push forward," Wernick told SCI FI Wire. He admitted he has no idea if or when the movie might go into production and refused to divulge details about how the character may or may not relate to the one seen in 'Spider-Man 3'.

ET's IRON MAN 2 Set Visit

Entertainment Tonight screened their 'Iron Man 2' set visit report last night. They've also posted it online for all to see. Not much new in terms of cool F/X footage or costumes, but we do get a look at the toned up Scarlett Johansson who plays "Natalie" in the movie. Seriously! Natalie!

COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Okay most Lovecraft movies have been pretty awful so if ron tries to do this Hollywood style with special effects galore it could bomb.

Iron man 2- WILL SEE WILL SEE WILL SEE WILL BUY THE DVD

Venom Script- could really care less. Marvel is saturating the market with it's movies and the quality is starting to drop. They have to be carefull or this one will get more Rasey Awards than Catwoman did and that was a BAD MOVIE

Super hero Squad- DONT EVEN BOTHER

R.I.P.- Dick Durock you will be missed.

An R rated SPAWN- This is a remake I could Definetly be interested in. Spawn is a good Charachter but a bad PG 13 Movie was made. The comic still Kicks ass.

Well might not be all Marvels fault they already have there movies planned and they got there sh*t together. As for Fox and Sony making Marvel films just say it with me "they just FUBAR'ed Marvel". Just like they will any DC property given into there grimy hands.

As for a Spawn remake don't count on it. In fact its a movie like Seven with some detectives and basically Sapwn the cheerleader in the background. The only reason he will draw a crowd to that movie will be becuase he has the Spawn name in the movie.

Why do I see Venom being another Elecktra failure and I hate to say......... from Marvel. Now if Venom somehow becomes Rated-R and his like the Predator I'd freakin watch it. There's nothing like a horror movie with a whole lot of maiming going on. See these would be cool horror flick if Rami would make it and give it a Drag Me to Hell style.

I've been looking for reviews of Surrogates. Rotten t has it at 42% as I'm typing this. Looks like it might be one of those movies that you can take it or leave it. I don' t see enough about it to make me want to see it in the theater. It's looking more and more like a rental.

DICK DUROCK: God bless you and your family. Also he played another Hulk fighting Lou Ferrigno's in the TV series.

LUCKY LUKE: Wow, that looks like great over the top fun! Reminds me of Stephen Chow's kung fu movies and Sam Raimi's The Quick and the Dead.

SPAWN MOVIE: Now seems the perfect time to get his version of his character done. Almost anyone with talent and alittle money can create a high quality movie with inexpensive digital camera, editing, and FX

LOVECRAFT: I was hoping Ron Howard would do his remake of Colossus: The Forbin Project next.

IRON MAN 2: That looks so good I can't wait. It also looked like that ET piece had scenes from the trailer in it, so hopefully that will be out soon.

Re. the Natalie thing, I believe that C2F are being sarcastic and patronizing the et airhead presenter (calling him a reporter would be stretching the definition of the word), 'cause instead of Natsha he called her Natalie. Her name's Natasha in the film, it's just that they didn't do their research. Those people are cheerfully and painfully vapid. I watched et last night and it was sadly amusing to watch them make an ear to ear smiling segue from the "love triangle" between Tony, Pepper and Natsaha to the story about the woman who was having sex with her father ever since she was a child. Tragically classic.

Calibur454"Okay most Lovecraft movies have been pretty awful so if ron tries to do this Hollywood style with special effects galore it could bomb."

Lovecraft: I have to agree that the Lovecraft movies have never been all that great. I am cautiously optimistic with Ron Howard attached. Hopefully this turns out good, but if it dosn't I won't be suprised.

Surrogates: Im pretty disapointed by the reviews for this movie. I was intrigued by the trailer but this sounds like it might be one of thoughs movies with potential that never quite measures up. I'll still check it out on dvd.

Venom & Spawn: I'm not excited to see either but will check them out eventually when they hit. If nothing eles just to see what they ended up doing with the respective characters.